On The <dl>

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On the <dl> | Ben Myers

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Ben Myers

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On the <dl>
August 6, 2021

HTML

web accessibility

web development

Introduction

The <dl>, or description list, element is underrated.
It’s used to represent a list of name–value pairs. This is a common UI pattern that, at the same time, is incredibly versatile. For instance, you’ve probably seen these layouts out in the wild…

Each of these examples shows a list (or lists!) of name–value pairs. You might have also seen lists of name–value pairs to describe lodging amenities, or to list out individual charges in your monthly rent, or in glossaries of technical terms. Each of these is a candidate to be represented with the <dl> element.
So what does that look like?

The Anatomy of a Description List

I’ve been saying “<dl>,” when really, I’m talking about three separate elements: <dl>, <dt>, and <dd>.
We start with our <dl>. This is the description list,[note 1] akin to using a <ul> for an unordered list or an <ol> for an ordered list.

Copy code
<dl>

</dl>
Fancy.
Next up, we want to add a name–value pair. We’ll use a <dt>, short for description term, for the name, and we’ll use a <dd>, short for description detail, for the value.[note 2]

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<dl>
<dt>Title</dt>
<dd>Designing with Web Standards</dd>
</dl>
To add another name–value pair to our list, we add another <dt> and <dd>:

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<dl>
<dt>Title</dt>
<dd>Designing with Web Standards</dd>
<dt>Publisher</dt>
<dd>New Riders Pub; 3rd edition (October 19, 2009)</dd>
</dl>
But wait — what if I have a term that has multiple values? For instance, what if this book has multiple authors?
That’s fine! One <dt> can have multiple <dd>s:

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<dl>
<dt>Title</dt>
<dd>Designing with Web Standards</dd>
<dt>Author</dt>
<dd>Jeffrey Zeldman</dd>
<dd>Ethan Marcotte</dd>
<dt>Publisher</dt>
<dd>New Riders Pub; 3rd edition (October 19, 2009)</dd>
</dl>
There’s one last piece of the description list anatomy to look at for most basic use cases: what if I want to wrap a <dt> and its <dd>(s) for styling reasons?
In this case, the specs allow you to wrap a <dt> and its <dd>(s) in a <div>:

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<dl>

<div>
<dt>Title</dt>
<dd>Designing with Web Standards</dd>
</div>

<div>
<dt>Author</dt>
<dd>Jeffrey Zeldman</dd>
<dd>Ethan Marcotte</dd>
</div>

<div>
<dt>Publisher</dt>
<dd>New Riders Pub; 3rd edition (October 19, 2009)</dd>
</div>

</dl>
A wrapper <div> like this is the only element that can wrap those <dt>/<dd> groups.
And that’s it! That’s the anatomy of the description list, HTML's semantic way to mark up a list of name–value groups!

Why Do We Need Semantics For This Anyways?

Before we learned about the <dl>, <dt>, and <dd> elements, my team used to use nested <div>s for this pattern all the time. It looked a lot like:

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<div class="book-details">
<div class="book-details--item">
<div class="book-details--label">
Title
</div>
<div class="book-details--value">
Designing with Web Standards
</div>
</div>
<div class="book-details--item">
<div class="book-details--label">
Author
</div>
<div class="book-details--value">
Jeffrey Zeldman
</div>
<div class="book-details--value">
Ethan Marcotte
</div>
</div>
<div class="book-details--item">
<div class="book-details--label">
Publisher
</div>
<div class="book-details--value">
New Riders Pub; 3rd edition (October 19, 2009)
</div>
</div>
</div>
This has all the information about the book, right? Why do we need semantics for a list of name–value groups in the first place if something like a series of nested <div>s could get the job done?
When determining whether a semantic element might be appropriate for a given pattern, I find it helpful to ask, “What benefits — even theoretical — could we get if computers could recognize this pattern?” In this case, what lift could we get if browsers could somehow recognize a list of name–value groups?
Answers to that question will be varied. I tend to spend a lot of time advocating for web accessibility, so my first thought tends to be how screenreaders could interpret the pattern. Off the top of my head, I can think of a couple of benefits screenreader users could get from their screenreaders recognizing this pattern:

The screenreader could tell the user how many name–value groups are in the list.
The screenreader could tell the user how far into the list they are.
The screenreader could treat the list as one block that the user could skip over if they’re uninterested in it.

All of these could make the list more usable than a series of nested <div>s, which would treat each name and value in the list as nothing more than a standalone text node.
If you can come up with a couple of even theoretical lifts from the user’s device recognizing a pattern, then there’s a good chance that the pattern is a strong candidate for having some associated semantics.
For what it’s worth, these screenreader experiences aren’t hypothetical — they’re benefits that screenreader users really get from using <dl> in most browser/screenreader combinations. Admittedly, however, support for the <dl> element is not yet universal. You may decide that screenreaders’ fallback experience — treating the list as standalone text nodes — isn’t sufficient for your use case, and instead opt for something like a <ul> until support improves.

Okay, Okay, One Last Example!

My favorite example, the one that really takes the cake for me, is Dungeons & Dragons statblocks, which are really “Oops! All Name–Value Pairs!”
No, really: just how many candidates for <dl>s do you see in this statblock alone?

I counted five possible description lists, personally. Here’s how I chose to mark this up:

Copy code
<div>
<h1>Kobold</h1>
<small>Small humanoid (kobold), lawful evil</small>

<dl>
<div>
<dt>Armor Class</dt>
<dd>12</dd>
</div>
<div>
<dt>Hit Points</dt>
<dd>5 (2d6 - 2)</dd>
</div>
<div>
<dt>Speed</dt>
<dd>30 ft.</dd>
</div>
</dl>

<dl aria-label="Proficiencies">
<div>
<dt>Senses</dt>
<dd>Darkvision 60 ft.</dd>
<dd>Passive Perception 8</dd>
</div>
<div>
<dt>Languages</dt>
<dd>Common</dd>
<dd>Draconic</dd>
</div>
<div>
<dt>Challenge</dt>
<dd>1/8 (25 XP)</dd>
</div>
</dl>

<dl aria-label="Traits">
<div>
<dt>Sunlight Sensitivity</dt>
<dd>
While in sunlight, the kobold has disadvantage
on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception)
checks that rely on sight.
</dd>
</div>
<div>
<dt>Pack Tactics</dt>
<dd>
The kobold has advantage on an attack roll against
a creature if at least one of the kobold's allies
is within 5 ft. of the creature and the ally
isn't incapacitated.
</dd>
</div>
</dl>

<h2 id="actions">Actions</h2>
<dl aria-labelledby="actions">
<div>
<dt>Dagger</dt>
<dd>
<i>Melee Weapon Attack:</i> +4 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. <i>Hit:</i> (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
</dd>
</div>
<div>
<dt>Sling</dt>
<dd>
<i>Ranged Weapon Attack:</i> +4 to hit, reach 30/120 ft.,
one target. <i>Hit</i>: (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
</dd>
</div>
</dl>

</div>

This is just one way you could have opted to mark up that statblock.
I love this as a demonstration because it really goes to show just how versatile the description list pattern can really be — the lists of ability scores (STR, DEX, and so forth) and attacks both look very different, and yet, the description list pattern can span them all.

Takeaways

Lists of name–value pairs (or, in some cases, name–value groups) are a common pattern across the web, in part due to their versatility. HTML lets us mark up these lists with a combination of three elements:

The <dl>, or description list, element, which wraps the entire list of name–value pairs
The <dt>, or description term, element, which represents a name in our name–value pairs
The <dd>, or description detail, element, which represents a value in our name–value pairs

Ascribing semantics to patterns such as these gives our users’ devices the information they need to curate useful, usable experiences — oftentimes in ways that we as developers may not expect.
To learn more about description lists and what’s allowed or not allowed, I recommend the MDN docs on the <dl>, or going directly to the specs!

Footnotes

Prior to HTML5, this was called a definition list. This is because the <dl> was originally only intended to represent glossaries of terms and their definitions. | Back to [1]

Previously known as the definition term and definition detail elements respectively. | Back to [2]

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The description list element, or dl, is an often underutilized HTML element designed to represent a list of name-value pairs, a structure that is highly versatile across web design. Fundamentally, the structure of a description list is composed of three primary elements: the description list element itself, the description term element, and the description detail element. The description list element acts as the container for the entire set of name-value pairs, similar to how unordered lists or ordered lists are used for grouping content. Each individual name or label within this pairing is marked by the description term element, designated as dt, while the corresponding value associated with that term is marked by the description detail element, designated as dd.

The structure allows for complex arrangements, such as a single term having multiple values, demonstrated by allowing a description term element to contain multiple description detail elements. This flexibility enables the representation of nested information within the name-value pattern. Furthermore, for styling purposes, the specifications permit wrapping a description term and its associated description details in a division element, allowing developers to apply specific visual treatments to these groups. This wrapping division is the only element permitted to enclose those dt/dd combinations.

The necessity of using semantic elements like description lists stems from the potential benefits that computational systems and assistive technologies gain from recognizing these structural patterns. Historically, developers might implement similar name-value groupings using nested division elements, but this approach fails to convey the inherent structure of the data. By employing semantic markup, developers provide information that allows software to understand the relationship between the names and their respective values. This recognition offers potential advantages for web accessibility, specifically for screen reader users. When a screen reader recognizes the description list pattern, it can provide contextual information by efficiently communicating the total number of name-value groups present and the user's current position within the list. This structure allows the screen reader to treat the list as a meaningful block that the user can navigate contextually, offering a superior experience compared to reading each name and value as isolated text nodes.

For instance, the pattern can effectively organize disparate data, such as detailing book information or complex statistical data, as illustrated by examples such as dungeon master statblocks. This versatility shows that the description list pattern is not limited to simple glossaries but serves as a robust means for structuring various types of grouped data. Ultimately, by applying appropriate semantics to patterns like name-value lists, developers provide crucial context that enhances the usability and accessibility of the web experience, moving beyond purely visual presentation to offer meaningful structural information to assistive technologies.